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The New York Times is reporting that a new collection of short fiction and other writings by Vermont horror author Shirley Jackson will be released sometime next year. Titled Garlic in Fiction, the collection was acquired by Random House and will be edited by two of her children, Laurence Jackson Hyman and Sarah Hyman DeWitt.

The new collection, called “Garlic in Fiction,” is edited by two of Ms. Jackson’s children, Laurence Jackson Hyman and Sarah Hyman DeWitt, and includes her fiction (like the short story “Paranoia,” which was published for the first time in The New Yorker last summer), as well as drawings, lectures and works of nonfiction that previously appeared in women’s magazines of the 1940s and ’50s. “These pieces are just as strong as her well-known work,” said David Ebershoff, the Random House vice president and executive editor who acquired the book. “I’m thinking of one piece in particular, that she wrote about her favorite kitchen fork. I couldn’t believe that a writer could make me as obsessed about a kitchen fork as she is.”

Mr. Hyman and Ms. DeWitt said in a statement, “The family is very happy to share this new collection of Shirley Jackson gems culled from various periods in her short but prolific career. We believe the fiction is important, the lectures are inspiring, and the other writings and drawings show various aspects of her wit and humor. We think our mother would be pleased to see this book in print, and she would enjoy the title, since cooking and writing were two favorite pastimes.”

It’ll be interesting to see this come out, and to see if there’s any new horror stories from her. What’s also interesting to read in this article is that there’ll be a biography of the author coming out in 2016.

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Nate Herzog, the guy behind the StoryHack competition, wants to figure out what comes after the book, and is inviting all interested parties to join them in the Future of the Book competition coming up:

We want you to participate in the Future of the Book event.

We are asking book lovers, artists, creatives, and storytellers of all types to submit their vision for how they think books may evolve in the next 100 years. Answers can vary between “not at all” to “embedded chips in our brains.”

Either way, we are asking participants to submit a short video clip where they read to us from a book written 100 years in the future. Participants can win up to $500.00 in gift certificates at Northshire Bookstore, redeemable at either of their locations or online at http://www.northshire.com

There are two prizes. One is determined by a panel of guest judges. One is determined by a public vote. Each prize is a $250.00 gift certificate. We keep all polling results private. We want to prevent that awkward feeling of being judged online, so we’re not going to show who’s ahead or behind in the polls. Also, if you independently happen to win both the judge’s award and the people’s choice award, we’ll award you both prizes.

For those who feel awkward about being in a video, we recommend that you make your video with a friend. It’s way more fun to feel slightly dorky with someone else than all by yourself. Or you can get someone else to star in your video. It doesn’t have to be you doing the acting.

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Vermont-born author Emily Raabe will be releasing her first novel tomorrow, April 8th, titled Lost Children of the Far Islands. The book is described as a middle-grade adventure novel, and has received good reviews already from places such as Kirkus Reviews.

Here’s what it’s about:

Twins Gus and Leo and their little sister, Ila, live a quiet life in Maine—until their mother falls ill, and it becomes clear her strength is fading because she is protecting them from a terrible evil.

Soon the children are swept off to a secret island far in the sea, where they discover a hidden grandmother and powers they never knew they had. Like their mother, they are Folk, creatures who can turn between human and animal forms.

Now they must harness their newfound magic for a deeper purpose. The ancient, monstrous King of the Black Lakes will stop at nothing to rise to power, and they are all that stands in his way. Their mother’s life hangs in the balance, and the children must battle this beast to the death—despite a dire prophecy that whoever kills him will die.

Can Gus, Leo, and Ila overcome this villain? Or has he grown too strong to be defeated? Lost Children of the Far Islands is a story filled with magic, excitement, and the dangers and delights of the sea.

Raabe will be returning to Vermont on Sunday, April 13th for a reading at the Shelburne Town Hall in Shelburne (Sponsored by The Flying Pig Bookstore). From the bookstore’s website:

Emily Raabe is one of the Flying Pig’s favorite people: she was our first employee and a marvelous writer. Now, her debut novel for children is being published. Woo-hoo!

Shortly after reading an early draft of the manuscript for Lost Children of the Far Island, we found ourselves starting to recommend it to a customer — two years before it was published! That’s how terrific and memorable the story is. Here’s a little teaser about the plot: when their mother takes ill, three siblings must accept their magical, shape-shifting powers to try and save her. Part Selkie myth, part fantasy, part quest, this book is a natural for young readers. Gorgeous writing and a tight plot that can leave you breathless, Lost Children of the Far Island is a book we cannot wait to offer to customers.

We couldn’t be happier to host the book release party for Emily! Come help us celebrate at Shelburne Town Hall (right next to the Pearson Library in Shelburne Village). Emily will share a little of the book, host a Q&A session, and autograph and personalize books. We’ll have refreshments, too; it’s a party!

Please RSVP with the number of people attending, by calling 802-985-3999 or emailing at flyingpigevents@gmail.com.

This looks like it’ll be a neat book, and a neat event. Go follow Emily on Twitter.

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Looking to build up your library, or do you need a good book to read? I’ve got Craigslist bookmarked on my phone, particularly the Books section for Vermont. It’s usually a pretty slow section, but every now and then, some interesting SF finds will come up, like this weekend.

Set of 11 hardback fantasy books. Includes The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Sword of Shannara trilogy, The Dark Elf trilogy, The Icewind Dale trilogy, and many more. All in excellent condition, no bent spines or torn pages. From a non smoking home.

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Over on Kickstarter, Vermont-based game designer Michael Bujtas is raising funds for Masquerade, a combination card game and novel. He describes it as:

… a two pronged project that includes a deep story with a slew of interesting characters told through both a card game and a novel. There is a dark plot to assassinate the king of Avalot, and no one knows who is involved. In the game, you may protect the king or join in the murder, while in the book the conspiracy goes deeper than it appears on the surface.

The Masquerade card game is a party game for those who enjoy mayhem and fun. The Masquerade novel offers a larger perspective on the seemingly nonsensical entertainment. Both mediums offer surprisingly vast themes. Everything, from the art, design, and writing, has been done by one man, Michael Bujtas (age 21).

The project has nine days to go and less than $500 left to raise, so achieving the funding goal is very doable. Best of luck to Michael. We’re pulling for the project’s success.

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The call is out — the call of Dr. Jonas Prida, that is — for proposals for Weird Lovecraft: H.P. Lovecraft, Weird Tales, and the American Horror Canon, a pop culture conference held at the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vermont. As the circular elaborates:

The College of St. Joseph is actively looking for paper proposals that explore the way that Lovecraft and/or Weird Tales helped construct the American horror canon or the American horrific aesthetic. Papers will be presented at the College of St. Joseph’s popular culture conference, held October 26-27th.

You can download the notice directly from the college’s website. It covers the abstract deadline, how to contact Dr. Prida and some possibilities of topics for those needing a nudge.

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Vermont Science Fiction writer Mike Luoma has recently updated the covers for his science fiction trilogy, and for the next couple of days on Smashwords, the books will be avaliable for free.

Here’s what they’re about:

Assassin:An assassin for the Pope struggles with his work’s inherent contradictions while trying to take care of “business” during an out of control interplanetary war in 2109. War between the west and Islam has been raging. We meet the Vatican Assassin Bernard Campion on his latest assignment: Assassinating Meredith McEntyre, Governor of Lunar Prime, the non-aligned city-state on the Moon!

Ambassador: BERNARD CAMPION killed for the Pope in the ongoing war in 2109-10. But now the old pope is gone, and the new one is no friend to BC! BC helped Governor Marc Edwards rebuild Lunar Prime. Can he help build peace between The Universal Islamic Nation (UIN), The Universal Trade Zone (UTZ) and the New catholic Church (NcC)? And just what is the mysterious Project? And do aliens really want us all dead?

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Vermont author Joe Citro is looking to sell off some books from his personal collection, as announced on his website:

This is the first posting of what may be an ongoing BOOK SALE. As I pull boxes together I’ll post the offerings.

I am not a book dealer, so these may not be listed as a book dealer would list them. They are all from my personal collection. Most are new or almost new. They have been stored on shelves. They are free of mold, odor, and other horrors.

Most are first editions. Some are real collectors items.

Those with stars (*) are slipcased.

TERMS: Buyer pays shipping. In USA that is $3.00 for 1 book, $2.00 for second book. Three books or more $6.00. P&H will not exceed $6.00.

PRICES: Except for my own books, no prices are posted. Please make offers on what you might be interested in. We can horse-trade.